The Woman He Destroyed Was the One Who Saved Him

My mother was the kind of woman everyone loved to hate.

Ten years of love, and she abandoned my father and her own child the moment he hit rock bottom.

Then she turned around and married his fiercest business rival.

When my father clawed his way back to the top, he used every means at his disposal to drag her back.

The whole world said he was madly, desperately in love with her.

Then his mistress caused my mother's third miscarriage, and she slipped into unconsciousness.

And I overheard the conversation between my father and my brother.

Three miscarriages. So what? Compared to Eileen Fox never being able to have children at all, it's nothing.

She stopped being my mother the day she walked out on me. Eileen is my real mom. It was just an embryo. What's there to be sad about?

A living, breathing life. My father's biological son. My brother's own flesh and blood.

Brushed aside by the two of them like it weighed nothing at all.

I looked through the doorway at my mother's eyes, flat and lifeless as still water.

I was about to storm in and scream at them both.

But a line of golden floating text appeared above my mother's head.

The supporting character risked being erased by the System just to rewrite fate for the male lead and his son. And this is what she saved? A pair of ungrateful monsters!

At least the supporting character endured every punishment. Three more days, and she'll finally be free of this world.

I stared at those words for a long time.

Dad. Brother. You don't have to hate her anymore.

My mother is leaving.

So Eileen's dog knocked you down. It was barely an embryo. How long are you going to keep this up?

My father stood at the foot of the hospital bed, irritation etched across his face.

Barely an embryo? Are you out of your mind? That was your own flesh and blood!

That's the third one she's lost now, isn't it

Since my mother regained consciousness, she hadn't eaten a single bite or taken a sip of water for three straight days. The only thing keeping her alive was an IV drip.

My father saw it as a tantrum. A woman blowing a small thing out of proportion.

Only I knew the truth. My mother hadn't given up on eating. She had given up on everything.

An embryo? Abner Farley, was that not your child?

You were the one parading your cat around. It scratched Mom first. Her dog was protecting its owner. Didn't you deserve it?

Liam Farley was eight years old when he said that.

Cold-blooded in a way no child his age should have been.

He tossed the words out without a second thought, barely sparing my mother a glance before turning all his attention back to the phone, to Eileen on the other end.

My mother's body went rigid. Tears slid silently down her cheeks.

She murmured to herselfDeserved it? Yes. I deserved it

Something flickered in my father's eyes, just for a second. Then it was gone.

His phone rang. A video call from Eileen.

Does the wound still hurt? Why are you out of bed? Where are the maids?

Mom, don't move around or the wound will get infected again. Dad and I are coming home to be with you soon.

It was like watching two completely different people.

Seconds ago, they had been cold and vicious. Now every ounce of tenderness they possessed was being poured into another woman.

Is she awake yet? It's all my fault. I shouldn't have been walking around with Brownie.

This has nothing to do with you. She's the one who doesn't care about her own children. Losing it should teach her a lesson.

With one sentence, my father swept all of Eileen's guilt onto my mother's shoulders.

But I was there that day. I saw everything with my own eyes.

My mother had tried to move out of the way. It was Eileen who deliberately closed the distance, eager to show off the diamond ring my father had bought her. She stepped on the cat's tail, and the startled cat scratched her.

One miscarriage could be called an accident.

But three?

The first time, Eileen shoved my mother into a frozen lake, and she lost the baby.

Then Eileen played the victim and flipped the story, claiming my mother had called her a homewrecker and that she'd pushed her in a moment of panic.

My father didn't punish Eileen. Instead, he forced my mother, still sick and bleeding, to kneel for three days in the Farley Chapel.

To purify her filthy thoughts, they said.

The second time, when she was close to her due date, Eileen sent away every doctor in the house. My mother hemorrhaged and was rushed to the emergency room.

The baby didn't make it. And the damage left behind was irreversible.

My father barely scolded Eileen. A few token words, nothing more.

All she had to do was shed a couple of tears, and he melted.

To make it up to her, he postponed his meetings and took her on a vacation abroad.

Leaving my mother, who had just lost her child, alone at home.

This time, the doctors had been very clear: given my mother's condition, if anything else went wrong, she would never be able to have children again.

From the moment she found out she was pregnant until just a few days ago, my mother had been impossibly careful. She hadn't even dared to step outside.

It was her therapist who finally convinced her to go for a walk, worried that staying cooped up would do more harm than good. And that walk led straight to disaster.

I couldn't stand it. I grabbed the phone and screamed at whoever was on the other endYou evil woman! This is all your fault! Stop pretending you careah!

Before I could finish, my brother kicked me to the ground.

Look what that woman turned you into! You're just a kid and you're already this vicious!

My mother dragged herself out of bed, swaying, and threw herself over me.

If you want to hurt someone, hurt me! Don't touch her!

She so rarely fought back like that. The fierceness of it caught my brother off guard, and for a moment he had nothing to say.

My father's brow furrowed, displeasure carved into every line of his face. He pointed at me and snappedYou ungrateful brat! Who raised you to be this heartless?!

Then he turned on my motherViolet, you're not fit to raise a child. Tomorrow I'm sending her to live with Eileen. You can have some peace and quiet for a while.

My mother clutched me to her chest and screamed through her tearsYou already took one of my children away from me! I will not let you take her too!

My father ignored her. He called the servants over and told them to pull me away.

Let go of her! Don't take her!

My mother let out a raw, broken scream. Then her body went limp, and she collapsed.

Mom!

She didn't wake up until the following afternoon.

After that scene, my father, for once, took back his order. He didn't mention sending me away again.

But before he left, he leaned in close and warned me never to cause trouble again.

Otherwise, daughter or not, he wouldn't go easy on me.

I sat watching my mother's pale profile and found myself thinking about what I'd once overheard, the story of how my parents used to be.

My father and mother had known each other since childhood. Sweethearts since they were young.

After college, she married him against her family's wishes, even though he still carried the stigma of being born out of wedlock.

She stood by him as he built everything from nothing. They went from a cramped rental to a mansion, and along the way, they had my brother.

For a while, they were the couple everyone envied.

Then, just as life was getting better, my father's business fell apart overnight.

A rival stole his project. Investors pulled out. The entire company's cash flow collapsed in a single day.

Everything was chaos.

And right when our family needed my mother most, someone photographed her walking into a hotel with my father's fiercest business rival.

My father sat in their room and waited for her all night.

All he got was a set of divorce papers.

You can't give me the life I want. Let's end this.

After that day, she left everything behind and went to be with that man.

I was too young to understand. But as I grew older, I heard what people said. They called my mother a vain, heartless woman who abandoned her family.

She never explained herself. Not once. She just sat quietly, staring out the window.

I was still lost in thought when a loud crash came from outside the door.

My brother barged in, a crowd of people trailing behind him.

He glanced at my mother on the bed, his brow creasingShe's still not awake.

I rushed in front of him, spreading my arms to block his pathWhat are you doing here?

Bringing a gift!

A sugary voice rang out from behind my brother.

Celia Fox wore a look of pure innocence, all bright eyes and dimpled smile. In her hands was a cat, gutted, its chest cavity hollowed out, fur matted with blood.

I recognized it instantly. It was Chubby, the cat Mom had raised for six years.

A gift Dad had given her on their third wedding anniversary.

Stupid thing. Its guts were already hanging out and it still tried to bite me!

It bit you?

Liam grabbed her hand, his brow creased with concern, and turned her arm until he found a faint bite mark on her forearm.

You should've had the servants handle it. Why would you do this yourself?

That animal scratched my mom. I had to skin it alive myself, or it wouldn't have been enough.

It didn't even hurt, though. It barely had any strength left. One little dying twitch, and I snapped its neck.

Celia was beaming as she said it.

I lost it. I threw myself at her and we went down in a tangle of fists and nailsThat was Mom's baby! Die! Who said you could kill Chubby? You're evil! Die!

We were still fighting when a slap cracked across my face so hard my head snapped sideways.

Liam wrenched me off and flung me aside, then carefully helped Celia to her feetAre you okay? That little psycho has completely lost her mind!

Blood trickled from my nose. A servant hauled me up off the floor by my arm.

Is this brat brain-dead? His own sister, his flesh and blood, and he sides with an outsider to bully her!

Like father, like son. Both of them ungrateful wolves.

Hit her!

Liam's voice cut through the room like a whip.

One slap after another landed on my face, each one rougher than the last.

The noise was loud enough to wake Mom, who was still unconscious inside.

She came out bracing herself against the wall and shoved the servants away from me.

I fell to the floor the moment they let go.

What are you doing?! Who gave you permission to barge in here?!

Your daughter hurt someone, Violet. Disciplining her is perfectly reasonable.

Liam barely spared Mom a glance, his lip curled with contempt.

A sharp crack.

Mom gathered every last ounce of strength she had and, for the first time in her life, hit her own son.

Get out! You're not my son. Get out! All of you, get out!

Now, now, Violet. Let's talk this through. No need to hit the children.

Abner stood in the doorway with Eileen on his arm, then walked inside.

The second he saw the handprint blazing red across Liam's cheek, his expression darkenedHave you completely lost your mind, Violet? He's your own son. You hit him over some brat whose father could be anyone?

I was born one month before Dad's business collapsed.

After the photos of Mom going into a hotel with another man surfaced, everyone started wondering whether she had been seeing someone behind his back all along.

And I was the proof.

To verify who I really was, I was dragged through paternity test after paternity test.

Every single one confirmed I was his.

But after that, neither he nor Liam treated me the way they used to.

Even when rumors spread that I was illegitimate, they said nothing. They let the whispers grow.

I only understood later. They never actually doubted my blood. They were using me to punish Mom for her supposed betrayal.

Mom stepped in front of me and pointed at the blood on my lipAre you blind, Abner? Your daughter, beaten by servants right in front of you, and you don't see it?

Uncle, that's not what happened! She called my mom a homewrecker who deserved to never have children, said she'd always be a dirty mistress hiding in the shadows. I couldn't stand it, so I hit her first.

Celia blurted it out, her voice cracking with rehearsed urgency.

Liam stiffened. Something flickered behind his eyes as he looked at her.

But when Abner's gaze turned to him, waiting, he noddedYes, Father. It happened exactly the way Celia said.

Eileen spoke up from the sideThat'sEffie, how could you say that about me

She covered her nose and mouth with one hand, letting out a soft whimper.

My father's voice cracked like a whipYou ungrateful wretch! Who do you think you are?! Someone take her to the basement and lock her in. She stays there until she's ready to apologize.

Lock me up instead!

My mother stood rigid in front of my father, staring him down.

No, Violet! You're only going to make the male lead angrier!

He responds when you yield. Stop going head-to-head with him!

Sure enough, Abner fixed my mother with a long, searching look, trying to find the smallest trace of surrender.

He found none.

Your health is too fragile for me to touch you, but His gaze turned razor-sharpI'm cutting off your mother's medical expenses.

My mother's body went rigid.

The year my father lost everything, my grandfather's family hadn't lifted a finger. They'd even humiliated him publicly when my mother remarried.

Later, when my father clawed his way back, he didn't just crush his longtime rivals. He destroyed my grandfather's entire family too.

My grandfather and uncle were driven to take their own lives. My grandmother collapsed from illness not long after.

The Summers family, once powerful enough that people fought for their favor, had been reduced to a single survivor: my mother.

My father knew that my grandmother was my mother's last line of defense and her only living relative.

She stared at him, tears rolling down her face in heavy, unbroken streamsYou have no heart, Abner. The year you went under, it was my mother who secretly sent someone to

Ahh

A raw, guttural scream tore out of her.

Stop talking, Supporting Character! You broke system rules by defying fate to save this father and son. The punishment has been triggered. The system will not let you speak the truth.

I stared at the golden text, frozen.

The truth?

What truth?

What really happened that year?!

Just as the text warned, my mother crumpled to the ground. Her mouth opened again and again, but each time it was forced shut.

She writhed on the floor, moaning in agony, as though some invisible torture was being inflicted on every nerve in her body.

Has the system lost its mind? That voltage will kill her!

I crawled to her sideMom, stop. Please stop talking.

Come on, sis, this really isn't the time to put on a show. Just apologize to Abner and it'll all blow over. No need for the theatrics.

Seriously, Mrs. Summers, nobody even touched you. This act is way too over the top. Just say sorry to Mr. Farley!

Mother and daughter, perfectly in sync. A few sentences was all it took to turn my mother's real, suffocating pain into a cheap performance.

My father's hand, half-extended toward her, slowly pulled back.

Whatever flicker of concern had crossed his face curdled into the cold fury of a man who believed he'd been played.

Fine! You want to take the punishment for that little brat? I'll grant your wish!

Someone get them out of here! Both of them kneel outside. Without my permission, no one helps them. No one.

I scrambled across the floor on my hands and knees and grabbed the hem of my father's trousers

Father, I was wrong, I was wrong! Mom just had a miscarriage. Please don't punish her. Please!

He didn't even glance at me. He just kicked me away like something dirty on his shoe.

Then he left, his arm around Eileen, Liam, and Celia.

My mother and I knelt outside the entire night.

A heavy rain started at midnight. My mother pulled me tight against her, shielding me with her body.

She didn't make it to dawn. The fever took her consciousness first.

The punishment was finally over.

Late that night, my father pushed the bedroom door open a crack and stood there, watching my mother lying unconscious on the bed.

After a few minutes, he stepped inside.

As if afraid of waking her, his palm brushed feather-light across my mother's face.

He let out a long sighViolet, why couldn't you have been the one who came to save me with that money? I loved you so much. Why did you have to betray me?

You idiot! The supporting character sold everything she owned, down to her mother's last piece of dowry jewelry, converted it all to cash, and handed it to her best friend to bring to you. What more was she supposed to do?

Betrayed you? If it weren't for what the supporting character did, you'd have been crippled years ago. And that rotten son of yours should've died in a car crash three years back, right on schedule with the plot!

I pressed myself into the corner of the wall, reading the truth scrolling across the floating text, biting down on my sleeve so I wouldn't make a sound.

So that was it. Back then, everyone had been deceived.

Final day of the countdown.

The next morning, before dawn had even broken, my brother barged in and tossed two sets of clothes at me.

Tomorrow, Father is holding a wedding with Mother.

Father's worried Mother will be looked down on, so he specifically wants you and Violet there as witnesses. That's the only way the other high-society wives will truly accept her.

The fact that my mother had remarried back then was one thing. People had always scorned her for it.

But a best friend inserting herself into a marriage on the verge of collapse wasn't exactly a badge of honor either.

Over the years, neither of them had escaped the whispers.

That was exactly why Eileen reacted so violently whenever anyone called her the other woman.

I stood frozen, aching for my mother.

If what the floating text said last night was true.

Then Eileen hadn't just hidden the truth about what happened back then. She'd stolen my mother's husband while she was at it.

How could the victim stand as witness for the person who destroyed her?

I couldn't contain my fury. I grabbed the clothes and hurled them to the floorAbsolutely not! Get out! Eileen IS the other woman, and I will never stand there and vouch for her!

Mother carried you for nine months and gave birth to you. How can you treat her like this!

My brother seized me by the throat, rage flickering in his eyes.

Effie, I'll say it one more time. Eileen is my mother. That woman lying in bed who abandoned her husband and child without a shred of loyalty is NOT.

You're right. I'm certainly not your mother.

My mother had come out of the room at some point. She picked up the clothes from the floor, her voice quiet and evenI'll attend the wedding tomorrow. You can go now.

She hadn't even finished speaking when several servants burst through the door.

Young Master, something terrible has happened! The Madam tried to kill herself!

My brother's expression changed instantly. He flew out of the room and nearly collided with my father, who was already rushing toward us.

His eyes were dark, his face terrifyingly grim.

He shoved the door open and slapped my mother across the faceViolet, I was still too soft on you.

Ignoring how white her face had gone, he closed his hand around her throatHow dare you post something like that online?! How do you have the nerve?!

A few hours earlier, an anonymous user had published a post titled After My Best Friend Stole My Husband, I Found Someone New.

It shot to the top of the trending charts almost immediately.

The post not only confirmed that Eileen had inserted herself into the marriage, but described in graphic detail the thrill and forbidden excitement of the affair with another man.

The author hadn't named names, but anyone paying attention could tell exactly who it was about.

Sleeping with someone else was that thrilling for you? Violet, are you really that shameless?

Let go of her! The supporting character is about to die!

I saw the text flashing above and threw myself at my father like I'd lost my mind, sinking my teeth into his hand.

He flinched from the pain and finally released his grip on my mother's throat.

He pointed at me and roaredBeat this brat to death!

No!

My mother screamed and threw her arms around meDon't touch the child! Whatever anger you have, take it out on me. Don't touch the child.

My father crouched down and seized my mother's chin, his grip cold and hard. Not a shred of pity in his eyes.

Since you love sharing so much, I want you to stand up at the wedding and tell everyone exactly how you threw yourself at another man. How you abandoned everything to be with your lover.

Fine.

I stared at my mother's eyes. Nothing left in them. Just ash.

My heart sank with them.

He was going todrive her to her death.

The day of the wedding, the grand hall glittered with light.

Eileen held her daughter's hand and walked toward her groom, beaming, surrounded by well-wishers and applause.

At the same time, my mother knelt below the stage in rags, a sign reading hung around her neck.

She repeated the words like a machine with no soul left inside it

I am vain and loose. During Mr. Farley's darkest hour, I abandoned my husband and my child and threw myself at another man.

It was Ms. Fox who brought Mr. Farley his salvation. I am nothing but a worthless whore who deserves to be spat on.

Filthy whispers filled the hall, one on top of another, never stopping.

I crawled to her on my knees and pressed my hands over her earsDon't listen, Mom.

When that part was finally over and she tried to stand, her legs gave out beneath her.

Exit countdown: five minutes.

In the back room, Eileen walked in from outside with a smile. She looked at my mother and feigned surprise

Oh, Violet! You're still here? Your mother just passed away. Shouldn't you be paying your respects?

A sound came out of my mother that didn't sound humanWhat did you say? When?! When?!

What? You didn't know?!

A day ago, Abner was so furious after seeing that post that he pulled the medical team. Your mother stopped breathing just a few minutes ago.

My mother didn't even stop to take off the sign still hanging from her neck. She bolted out the door like she'd lost her mind.

Mom!

I ran after her as hard as I could, but I couldn't keep up.

Exit countdown: one minute.

In the main hall, my mother shoved the doors open and screamed in front of everyoneAbner Farley, you lied to me! You lied to me!

My father and brother both froze, their brows knotting tight.

Violet, have you lost your mind? What is this now?!

My mother is dead! My mother is dead!

My father paused for a beat, then let out a cold scoffDon't blame me. You killed her yourself.

My mother crumpled to the floor, clutching her head, and the wail that tore out of her echoed through the entire hall.

I was blocked outside, but I screamed anyway, screamed with everything I hadMom, don't stay here! Just go!

Countdown: 5, 4, 3

The next second, my mother shot to her feet, broke through every hand that tried to stop her, and ran for the rooftop.

Violet, come back!

Watching her retreating figure, so absolute, so final.

My father was swallowed whole by a dread he'd never felt before.

The color drained from his face, and he tore after her.

Congratulations, Host. Exit successful.

A cold, mechanical voice rang out.

My mother leapt from the rooftop.